VAMPIRA
UK, 1974, 88 minutes, Colour.
David Niven, Teresa Graves, Peter Bayliss, Jennie Linden, Nicky Henson, Linda Hayden, Bernard Bresslaw, Freddie Jones.
Directed by Clive Donner.
Vampira is a spoof on horror films. At the same time there was the George Hamilton spoof, Love at First Bite.
Dracula needs a blood transfusion for his wife – and she receives Playboy Bunny transfusions turning her into a glamorous black Playboy model, Teresa Graves. He has to go to London to look for white cells.
This film seems, in outline, quite politically incorrect – but is a spoof on the horror films as well as attitudes of racism.
The short running time means that it is a small film – and was also called Old Drac.
The film was written by actor Jeremy Lloyd who also wrote a number of television series like Are You Being Served and ‘Allo, ‘Allo. It was directed by Clive Donner who made interesting films in the 1960s like The Caretaker, Nothing But The Best, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, Alfred the Great. In his later career, he moved to the United States and made a number of remakes of popular films including A Christmas Carol.
1. An enjoyable comedy? How much was burlesque, how much parody? The purpose for the film? Humorous exploitation of horror films? How valid, how successful?
2. What incidental insight into horror films and audience response does a comedy like this give? How do jokes about a topic give insight?
3. How did the film work with its colour, music, the garish picture of modern society, suspense, wit and puns? Did they give a particular tone to the film? Add to the parody and the farce?
4. How attractive was David Niven as Dracula? A typical David Niven performance? Setting a tone for the whole proceedings?
5. The racist comments on the film? The fact that Vampira becomes black? The fact that Dracula became black at the end?
6. How enjoyable the presentation of modern Transylvania? Dracula’s modern problems? Tourism? Maltravers as his assistant, typical English butler, the style adding to the film? The making of Dracula a typical English lord? The details of the tourism, gimmicks for entertaining visitors, social comment?
7. The Playboy atmosphere? The use of horror and sex and parody? The personalities involved, especially Pottinger? Their response to Transylvania? The normal audience response?
8. How enjoyable was Dracula’s problem for getting blood for Vampira? The use of modern science and its association with Dracula’s blood transfusions? The ordinary blood, sucking devices of horror films and the modern tone?
9. How attractive was Vampira? Her living in the 20s and discovering the 70s?
10. How enjoyable were the London adventures? Dracula’s walk by night and difficulty in getting home, the house, flying? Vampira’s response to jet-set London?
11. Were Mark and Angela an interesting hero and heroine? Conventional? Their ordinariness in the middle of a vampire parody?
12. The use of the convention of mind control for humour? Advancing the plot? The complications for Mark and for Dracula? Vampira’s relating to Mark, yet his problems? Some suspense for the plot?
13. How well did the film use conventions of suspense for the climax? Any doubt as to the outcome? Rescue of heroine by hero?
14. The irony of the ending with the black Dracula?
15. How does a study of satire comedy give insight into human response to genres?
